Testing a private well

On a public water system, a utility tests the water. On a private well, nobody does unless you do. EPA’s drinking water standards don’t apply to private wells, so the owner is responsible for keeping the water safe.

The yearly test

Test once a year for:

• Total coliform bacteria, a sign that surface water or sewage may be getting in
• Nitrates, often from fertiliser, manure or septic systems
• Total dissolved solids
• pH

Add anything you have reason to suspect. Your local health department can tell you what turns up in groundwater in your area. Test more often if a baby, an older person, or someone pregnant or nursing lives in the house.

Test again straight away if

• there are known groundwater problems nearby
• something changed near the well: flooding, earth-moving, new construction or industry
• you repaired or replaced part of the well system
• the water’s taste, smell or colour changed

What to test for, by situation

What’s going on	Test for
Repeated stomach illness	Coliform bacteria
Lead in plumbing or service line	pH, lead, copper
Radon in the area	Radon
Farmland nearby	Nitrate, nitrite, pesticides, coliform
Mining nearby	Metals, pH, corrosion
Gas drilling nearby	Chloride, sodium, barium, strontium
Fuel smell, or near buried fuel tanks	Volatile organic compounds
Stained fixtures or laundry	Iron, copper, manganese
Scale, soap won’t lather	Hardness

Use a state-certified laboratory. If a result is over a health standard, retest to confirm and call the health department. Some problems, like bacteria, can often be fixed by disinfecting the well. Others may need filtration, treatment, or a new or deeper well.

Protecting the well

• Slope the ground so runoff drains away from the wellhead, and fit a sanitary seal or well cap.
• Keep fuel, pesticides, fertiliser and solvents away from the well, and out of the septic system.
• Pump and inspect the septic system as the health department recommends.
• Hire a certified well driller for any new well, changes, or closing an old one, and never cut the casing below ground.
• Keep records of maintenance and any chemicals used in the well.

For a Leafhouse project

When you’re looking at land with an existing well, ask for recent test results and the well log before you buy. Budget for a full test as part of due diligence.